Green Chile Willy’s

Green Chile Willy's

The Epitome of a Texas Restaurant from the Warm Welcome to

the Decor and the Award Winning Chicken Fried Steak

Margaret Glasscock, owner of Green Chile Willy, is a hardworking free spirit who has taken a variety of different paths through out the years from being an artist and teach art at Amarillo College to participating in rodeos and running a ranch. Margaret has had a hand in many businesses over the years with Green Chile Willy’s being her most successful. In 2006, there wasn’t much around McCormick and the Canyon E-Way where Margaret had a home and land, so she and her partner William Douglas, decided to create a restaurant to feed the community around them. She built the restaurant at the edge of her property, it was named after William “Willy” and opened in December of 2006. Margaret later bought Willy out in 2014.

Green Chile Willy’s instantly became a community favorite and by 2008 had already won Amarillo Globe News’ Best of Amarillo for their chicken fried steak. There is a distinctivly rustic feel to the restaurant when you walk in with a family atmosphere. There are several art pieces painted by Margaret, including the huge mural above the entrance. There once was a patio where live music was played every Friday night, but the restaurant became so popular and busy they had to close it in to create more seating. With Palo Duro Canyon and hotels around Canyon sending people their way, so they’ve become wildly successful with tourists. Margaret planned for a little family restaurant and word of mouth made it so popular it exploded.

David Tinklenberg, now the Manager, came on as a busboy in 2007 along with his brother Michael who is now the kitchen manager. Margaret took the two brothers under her wing and mentored them in the restaurant business. David says, “She’s probably one of the hardest working women I’ve ever met and I’m so grateful to have been mentored by her”. David has worked in every aspect of the restaurant, from busboy to waiter to being a cook, and now handles the day to day operations. David’s favorite parts of running Green Chile Willy’s are meeting an amazing variety of people from all over the United State and their reactions to their food and working with a wonderful staff that feels like family.

Not only did they win the “Best of” for their chicken fried steak in 2008, but they won every year after that. Ten years in a row of winning, earned them the Hall of Fame award last year. They were also voted #1 chicken fried steak in Texas by the Texas Hill Country magazine. David attributes the success of their chicken fried steak to the fact that they only use certified Angus beef and hand bread them daily. They not only have their original chicken fried steak but they also make a green chile chicken fried steak and a jalapeno chicken fried steak with homemade jalapeno gravy. In addition to chicken fried steak, David is very proud of their ribeye and sirloin steak that he hand cuts everyday and marinades in his “secret” marinade. And the famous fried pecan pie that is to die for!

Green Chile Willy’s is located on the the East side of I-27 off McCormick Road. There are two entrances, one on the access road and one off McCormick Road behind All Star Family Ford. They are open 11:00am to 9:00pm Tuesday through Saturday. They are BYOB and they offer a FREE chicken fried steak on your birthday! So take a trip to Green Chile Willy’s to see what everyone is talking about.